Idle rich

Imagine your child with a future in stockbroking? Well, you're never too young to appreciate the trappings, it seems. BMW has come up with a mini-magnate version of its BMW Z4 convertible for three to five year olds. And just think of the stares your little tyke will get pulling up in front of the kindergarten. It has an adjustable seat, roll bar and a top speed of 4km/h. There's a pedal version for the seriously well-off or an electric model for the idle rich. - Paul Best

Surf's up

Intel notebook surfboard

Wireless networking keeps this concept surfboard-notebook connected to the internet so you can check your emails in between waves. We imagine, though, you would have a better chance of finding the perfect wave than a networked beach. Intel's one-off prototype, made by Gulfstream surfboards, comes with a built-in solar charging kit. - Simon Tsang

In the spin

i-Top spinning top

$US10 ($A14)

The i-Top uses an electronic compass to keep track of the number of spins. This may seem like a useless activity but its maker, Toronto-based Itoys, hopes this could become the basis of a new game. The palm-size top automatically stores its record spin counts and that total, and the running counts, are displayed. The i-Top also homes in on the territory of the Magic 8-Ball, with one of its settings letting it answer generic yes or no questions. The internal electronic compass can also provide directions. - New York Times